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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838359">Help Wanted</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stardew Valley (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Chronic Pain, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:02:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838359</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When farmer Maggie (OC) is instructed to take it easy after a strenuous season on the farm, she enlists Alex to lend a hand with the work she's unable to do.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Help Wanted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Chapter summary: Farmer Maggie receives some difficult news at her yearly check-up.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The summer sun beat down on Pelican Town, and not even the strongest fan could keep the town’s residents cool in their homes. One by one, households emptied as adults and children alike headed for the beach, laden with towels, pails, shovels, and enough sunblock to cover an elephant. By 10:00am, the waterfront was packed; young adults splashed each other in the briny surf, and older couples sat in beach chairs beneath large umbrellas anchored in the sand. Along the dock, a few men had their lines dipped in the water, awaiting the tug of a mullet or snapper. It was a perfect day, by all accounts, for everyone except Maggie Cable, whose overalls sweat-soaked overalls had been peeled down to her waist and tied, in an attempt to provide some relief from the heat.
</p>
<p>
Having lived on the farmland just west of town for the better part of five years, the young farmer was known to be one of the hardest-working folks around. She had slaved away at the land her grandfather had bequeathed her, turning the unkempt soil into an award-winning farm that provided fresh produce for the entire valley. When the regular townsfolk were still asleep in bed, Maggie was in the barn, milking cows and collecting eggs that would serve as tomorrow’s breakfast for the town’s residents. Even on festival days, the sun-kissed brunette was up before the sun; her only break came with the snow, and even then, she could be found smashing rocks and fighting dangerous creatures in the darkness of the mines.
</p>
<p>
Maggie dabbed at her brow with a dirty handkerchief, smearing dirt across her forehead. She had just pulled up a wheelbarrow’s worth of radishes, and some of the soil that had clung to the plant’s roots had made its way under her fingernails and up her wrists. She looked a mess, but didn’t care because she rarely had visitors to the farm, especially on a day as hot as this one. As she surveyed the rows of corn and wheat before her, she felt a burst of pride at the work she’d accomplished. It was nearly the end of the season, and she’d grown nearly twice what she had the previous summer.
</p>
<p>
With her tools upgraded, and with the seeds she’d collected and stored after last year’s harvest, she had been able to greatly increase the quality and volume of produce to sell. She’d been so successful, in fact, that she and Pierre had struck a deal – he would be the exclusive purchaser of whatever she didn’t keep for her own use, and would stock his shelves with a plethora of products with Cable Farm’s label on them. He had even set things up so that some of her produce reached consumers in Calico Desert, and in other nearby towns within the valley.
</p>
<p>
With all her chores for the day finished, and her belly rumbling, Maggie headed back towards the farmhouse. As she reached the porch, though, she decided she didn’t want to track dried mud all over the house, so she turned around and made for the pond on the south end of her property. There, she stripped off her overalls, stepped out of her boots, and cannonballed into the centre of the deep pond. When she swam up to the surface, Maggie let out a whoop, relieved by the chilly water. Her teeth chattered and goosebumps popped up along her arms and legs, but it didn’t bother her a lick; she’d been sweating since she left the house at 6:00am, and could finally rinse the salt from her skin.
</p>
<p>
Dunking her head back under the water, Maggie did a few laps across the pond, just for the fun of it. When she made it into water shallow enough for her feet to touch the pond’s weed-covered bottom, she stood up and made an effort to clean herself off – scraping dirt from beneath her nails, rinsing the sweat from her hair, and scrubbing her body with a dried sea sponge she had left on a rock at the pond’s edge for just this purpose. Within a few minutes, she felt as good as new. Continuing her laps across the pond, Maggie eventually blocked out the sound of nearby clucking of chickens, and the rustle of the slow breeze through the leaves of nearby trees. She was so focused, in fact, that she didn’t hear the crunch of footsteps or the chatter of the approaching group of young men.
</p>
<p>
“Hey farm girl, how’s the water?” a familiar voice called from a few yards off. Startled, Maggie turned towards the sound and saw that Sam, Alex, and Sebastian had come to visit. They were in t-shirts, swim shorts, and had towels thrown over their shoulders; she assumed correctly that they had spent the morning at the beach.
</p>
<p>
“Refreshing!” Maggie called back to Sam, whose voice had woken her from her reverie. “I figured that the ocean wasn’t going to do much for sweaty old me,” she explained, “so I hopped in the pond here instead of coming to the beach.”</p>
<p>
“We missed you,” Sebastian harrumphed, displeased that she hadn’t made the trek down to the waterfront. “But maybe this weekend, we can all go down together. I’m sure some of the other girls will want to join as well.” 
</p>
<p>
“The farm looks great, Maggie,” Alex exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the height of the corn and wheat growing nearby. “Wow, this must be so much work! I’m sorry we haven’t been by to see you here more often.” Sam and Sebastian mumbled words along the same lines, but it was obvious that they weren’t nearly as interested in plants and livestock as their friend.
</p>
<p>
“Thanks, Alex,” Maggie said appreciatively. “It’s a lot of work, you’re right, but I love it. Feel free to drop by any time, and I’ll teach you a thing or two about farming!” Alex nodded enthusiastically; out of the three young men, he had always had the most interest in working outdoors. In fact, he usually manned the seasonal ice cream stand across the river bridge; he at least had an umbrella to shield himself from the sun’s rays, unlike Maggie, who relied on the wide brim of her straw hat. 
</p>
<p>
“We’re just passing through on our way to Sebastian’s place,” Sam announced, which was his way of warning Alex not to get involved in a long conversation. “We’re trying to beat <i>Journey of the Prairie King.</i> Abigail loaned Seb her console, for some reason...” Sam elbowed Sebastian teasingly and received a sharp “Shut the hell up!” in response. 
</p>
<p>
“Well, thanks for stopping to say hello,” Maggie laughed, wringing her hair out and pulling it up into a ponytail. “Have fun with the video games!”
</p>
<p>
“See you around, Mags,” Alex called over his shoulder as he followed his bickering friends towards the staircase up to the backwoods, which provided a shortcut to Sebastian’s house. Once they were out of view, Maggie climbed out of the pond and grabbed her overalls, which she proceeded to scrub clean at the water’s edge. The soles of her boots also got a rinse, and both were set out on the porch of the farmhouse to dry in the sun. She shivered as she walked through the house in just her damp underclothes, but once she had towelled herself off and slipped on fresh ones, she was the epitome of comfort.
As Maggie pulled an outfit from her dresser drawers, she thought to glance up at the calendar hanging on the wall above. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she noticed the words <i>Dr. Appointment, 2:00</i> scrawled in the box bearing today’s date. Her watch read 1:50; that was just enough time to get dressed, saddle her horse, and ride into Pelican Town. Walking would take too long, and Harvey had become rather strict about people making their appointment times since he had taken over the patients of a now-retired doctor from a nearby town.
“I knew I was forgetting something today,” Maggie grumbled to herself as she slipped her feet into her boots. “Should have just showered, and washed my clothes later.” She left the house door unlocked and sprinted out to the stable, where her bay mare, Darling, was munching at some oats.
</p>
<p>
Never before had Maggie tacked a horse faster, and within minutes, she had Darling in a brisk trot along the road to town. Pam, who was walking back from the bus stop, received a wide berth from the horse and rider, so as not to make her nervous. Not everyone in Pelican Town was as comfortable around animals as Maggie; really, only Marnie and Shane had much experience with livestock. 
</p>
<p>
Once the pair had reached Dr. Harvey’s clinic, Maggie hopped down, pulled a rope from the saddlebag, and tied Darling to a nearby lamppost. Despite making several requests to Mayor Lewis about installing a few hitching posts in town, the job had yet to be done, so the lamppost would have to make do for a half-hour.
</p>
<p>
  The clinic’s interior was not quite as cool as Maggie’s farmhouse, but it was comfortable in comparison to the outside temperature. Maru, who worked as a nurse part-time, was busying herself behind the counter by filling pill bottles. For a place as small as Pelican Town, the residents sure used a fair amount of pills; Evelyn and George, the elderly couple who lived just down the street, both had high blood pressure, as did Pam, whose drinking habits probably didn’t help her case. Shane and Sebastian were on anti-depressants, Penny and Kent on anti-anxiety meds, and both Sam and Vincent were medicated for ADHD. All in all, Harvey made a pretty penny as the town’s only provider of pharmaceuticals. 
</p>
<p>
“Right on time,” said Maru as she glanced up at the clock. “You can head on into the exam room; Harvey should be with you in just a moment. Had to run over to Pierre’s for some coffee beans, I think.” She held out a paper exam gown, which Maggie grabbed from her as she passed by the desk.
</p>
<p>
“Thanks, Maru,” Maggie replied, pushing through the swinging doors that led to the treatment and exam rooms. All along the hall hung information posters about the flu, proper handwashing technique, healthy eating, and the recommended amount of exercise each week for every age group. The words didn’t interest Maggie much, but she liked the pictures; Leah, the artist who lived in the Cindersap Forest, had been commissioned to create the infographics for the Stardew Valley Regional Health Authority a few years back, and the designs still intrigued the farmer.
</p>
<p>
Maggie changed into the uncomfortable paper gown, placed her folded clothes on the chair provided, and hauled herself up onto the exam table. As promised, Harvey strolled into the room a moment later, carrying a bag of Cable Farm coffee beans, as well as a fresh jug of cream for his mini-fridge.
</p>
<p>
“Harvey, you could have just called, and I’d have brought you coffee and cream – sugar, even – for free,” Maggie chastised him gently. “Pierre’s been charging an arm and a leg for coffee right now, so I’d be more than happy to share my own stock.”
</p>
<p>
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Maggie,” Harvey declined politely. “It’s been easier to fit extras into the budget now that I’ve got more patients on the books. Thanks for the offer, though. It’s much appreciated.”
</p>
<p>
“I can relate to that,” Maggie said, nodding in agreement. “I had weeks where I wondered how I was going to afford to keep the heat on in my first year or two on the farm. It’s great to be on your feet, isn’t it?”
</p>
<p>
“Sure is,” Harvey chuckled. “So how is Cable Farm doing this year? I’ve seen more and more of your produce stocked at Pierre’s lately, so the crop can’t be doing so bad this year.” The doctor grabbed Maggie’s chart from the cupboard above his desk and opened it up to read the notes from last year’s appointment.
</p>
<p>
“It’s been great this year! Tried some new crops, which were a big hit here in town, and the animals are all doing really well. Much happier now that I’ve got heating in the barns during the winter.” Harvey noted the pleasure in Maggie’s voice as she described her work; it was evident that farming was her calling, and that she took great pride in it. 
</p>
<p>
“That’s great to hear, Maggie,” Harvey responded, grabbing a pen from his writing utensil-filled “I ♥ My Patients” mug. “I’m sure that the hard work is paying off. How has it been making you feel physically, all that digging and carrying heavy loads?” He regarded her over the frames of his glasses, which had slid down to the end of his nose.
</p>
<p>
“Well, there are days when it’s pretty tough on my back and knees,” Maggie begrudgingly admitted. It felt embarrassing to have to explain the amount of pain her work put her in at times. “But I just take some pain meds and keep on going, because that’s what I’ve got to do sometimes,” she shrugged indifferently.
</p>
<p>
“And how often would you say you’re taking the pain medication?” Harvey inquired, keeping his tone free of judgement. He sensed that Maggie was downplaying the pain, but didn’t want to make her feel the need to hide details from him of shame or embarrassment. “A few times a day, every other day?”
</p>
<p>
“I’ve, uh, been keeping on top of it,” Maggie mumbled, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. She avoided Harvey’s eyes for fear that he would be upset. “So, um, usually I’ve been taking the anti-inflammatory medicine you gave me every eight hours while I’m awake.” What she didn’t say was that she iced her knees every night after work, or that she sometimes had to take a long break in the middle of the day because her back hurt so badly. 
</p>
<p>
“So the pain is pretty significant, is that correct?” he asked gently. “Please be honest, Maggie, so that we can do whatever we need to manage it. The last thing I want is for you to be unable to work, and that’s what will happen if we can’t get it under control.” Maggie’s bottom lip began to wobble, and she sniffed loudly, trying her best to hold back tears. <i>Unable to work?</i> That was insanity!
</p>
<p>
“It’s pretty significant,” she agreed after a long moment of silence. “I haven’t passed out as often as I was before, but it’s still a challenge to make it to the end of the day at times.” Harvey scrawled out some illegible notes in Maggie’s chart before rolling his wheeled office chair to sit in front of her.
</p>
<p>
“Alright, let’s have a look at your knees, here,” Harvey said, reaching out to touch Maggie’s left leg. “May I?”
</p>
<p>
“Go ahead.” 
</p>
<p>
Harvey extended and flexed each of Maggie’s knees, and with a firm hand, assessed the skin, muscle and ligaments that connected the bones of her legs. He scribbled more notes in the chart, and asked a few follow-up questions. When he had finished, the man leaned back in his chair stroked his chin thoughtfully.
</p>
<p>
“So, I’m not hearing any crepitation – that’s the word for ‘crackling’ sounds – when I bend your knees, Maggie,” he began, “so that makes me think this probably isn’t arthritis. And I don’t feel any deformities in the underlying tissue.” 
</p>
<p>
“So, it’s just hurting for no reason?” Maggie asked, confused. “How is that possible?”
</p>
<p>
“Honestly, I think that you’ve been in pain because you’re working yourself to the bone,” he answered. “I think the pain is caused by you constantly using your muscles for strenuous work, and there is possibly a mental component to the pain as well. Sometimes, our brain turns thoughts and feelings into pain.”
</p>
<p>
“Is there something I can take to make it hurt less?” Maggie asked, her eyebrows drawing together concernedly. “A medicine, or something?”
</p>
<p>
“A break,” Harvey said simply. “You need to take a break, Maggie. You’re exhausting yourself every day, and it isn’t healthy. I know it’s just you running the farm, and that you’re doing really well…but it’s going to destroy your body if you keep going at this pace, and then you won’t be able to run the farm at all.”
</p>
<p>
For a moment, Maggie was completely silent as she processed the doctor’s words. <i>Take a break? At the end of the summer? For how long?</i>
</p>
<p>
“So what, do you propose I just sit around and not do anything in autumn?” she asked, her voice rising. “The season that’s the most important to the farm, the most lucrative? Harvey, that’s impossible. I <i>can’t</i> take a break. I’m the only one who can do any of this!” Maggie put her face in her hands and groaned in disbelief. How was this happening to her? Things had been going so well this year, if you didn’t include the debilitating knee pain.
</p>
<p>
“I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you to hear,” Harvey empathized, “and I’m so sorry that it’s so distressing. I know you have a lot of responsibilities, Maggie, and I’m not telling you to ignore them.”
</p>
<p>
“So what are you telling me to do?” Maggie asked sharply. Harvey frowned as he thought over the possibilities: she could take a break for the season; she could cut down her workdays; it was possible that she could hire someone to help out around the farm as much as possible – maybe even two people, the place was so big. It never ceased to amaze him that Maggie was keeping the place running all on her own.
</p>
<p>
“What if you were to hire a farmhand?” Harvey suggested. “With JojaMart gone, there are a fair number of people who are out of a job; plus, it’ll be autumn, so anyone who works during the summer would be available as well.”
</p>
<p>
Maggie considered his recommendation. Having someone else to help out might actually be great, both for her, and for whoever took the job. She could definitely afford to pay a fair wage, and there was more than enough work to split between two people. But was Harvey right? Was there anyone who might be interested? The land had gone unused for years while her grandfather was too old to care for it anymore, and she was sure that he offered positions to people in town to keep the place running. He had even said as much in the diaries he’d left behind.
</p>
<p>
“That…might work,” she murmured cautiously. “I could ask Elliott or Penny for some help with writing up an ad, and then I could post it on the bulletin board next door. People would see it there, I suppose.”
</p>
<p>
“That’s the spirit, Maggie!” Harvey encouraged, patting her shoulder. “There has to be someone in this town that would be willing to help a friend out. After all, everyone knows how important it is to have fresh, healthy and affordable produce available. I’m sure people will be scrambling to apply.”
</p>
<p>
As Harvey continued on with her check-up, Maggie answered questions and moved her limbs as requested, but was doing so on autopilot. Her mind was consumed by the prospect of taking a step back from the farm, and allowing someone else to help out. It was truly a prospect she’d never considered before, except when she thought about the possibility of having a partner or spouse at some point in the future. Who would she trust to care for her beloved livestock, or to properly water her crops? Who would remember that the door to the chicken coop was a little sticky, and that in order to close it properly, one had to pull the handle up, push firmly, and kick the bottom corner of the door?
</p>
<p>
“All finished here,” Harvey announced once he’d listened to her heart and lungs and declared her fit as a fiddle (other than the regular pain and constant exhaustion). “You make sure you’re not taking those meds more often than I’ve prescribed, and don’t be pushing yourself too hard, now. I don’t want to see you in here, collapsed on the stretcher after another mining incident, okay?”
</p>
<p>
“Alrighty, Doc,” Maggie agreed, holding in a sigh until he was out of earshot. Slowly, she peeled off the paper gown, dressed in her own clothes, and wandered back out into the reception area of the clinic.
</p>
<p>
“You okay there, Maggie?” Maru asked, frowning concernedly from behind the counter. She’d never seen the farmer so down; she was usually a lively, happy young woman. 
</p>
<p>
“Just a little tired, thanks,” Maggie mumbled as she continued towards the front door.
</p>
<p>
“Hey, wait!” Maru called after her. “I’ve got your prescription ready. Don’t you want to take it with you, instead of having to come all the way back another time?” Maggie thought about it for a second; she supposed that made the most sense.
</p>
<p>
“Sure, why not?” she shrugged, returning to the desk. Maru placed the bottle of pain pills on the counter and printed out a receipt, saying that Maggie’s insurance plan had covered the cost of the medication. The farmer tucked the translucent orange bottle into the pocket of her sweater, and the receipt into her wallet.
</p>
<p>
“Get to bed at a good time tonight!”
</p>
<p>
“Will do, Maru,” came Maggie’s reply. The doorbell jangled as Maggie pushed it open, and then, once again, she was out in the stifling heat. Darling was patiently waiting beside the lamppost, occasionally nibbling at some nearby wildflowers mixed in with the grass. The horse’s ears perked up when she caught sight of her rider, and she let out a little whinny when Maggie was almost close enough to touch.
</p>
<p>
“Hey there, old girl,” Maggie greeted her equine companion, reaching out to stroke the horse’s smooth neck. Darling bumped her nose affectionately against the young woman’s face, earning a laugh. Maggie pulled an apple from the saddlebag pocket in which she always packed treats, and Darling happily crunched on the sweet fruit while Maggie untied her from the post.
</p>
<p>
On the way back to the farm, Maggie steered Darling north towards Robin and Demetrius’s house, and the pair walked at a leisurely pace alongside the river. The sun had dipped lower in the sky since midday, and the heat, while still extreme, had abated somewhat in the last hour or so. 
</p>
<p>
As horse and rider passed the carpenter’s house beside the mountain, Maggie’s mind jumped to the trio of friends who were probably still gaming inside. Sebastian’s room was in the basement, so there was no way she’d see them through the window, but she still sat tall and poised in the saddle, just in case. 
</p>
<p>
Though she had befriended the vast majority of the townspeople, Maggie still felt self-conscious about the way people thought of her. They had been cautious; some of them even suspicious, when she’d first arrived. Now, she was invited to dinner and parties, asked to join the young folks on their trips to the beach or the casino, and had even been on a date once or twice. Despite all of this, she was guarded whenever she might be around others. This afternoon, she’d been caught off-guard, and it had shaken her, as much as she’d tried to hide it. 
</p>
<p>
Whenever she passed through the backwoods, Maggie stopped every so often to pick berries from a bush, or to collect an artifact she’d seen sticking out of the ground. Today, she noticed the sun glinting off of something silver and shiny along the path, so she dismounted her horse to check it out. It was a custom-made silver coin, she decided, because it looked nothing like the currency used in Stardew Valley. On one side, there was imprinted a silver gridball, and on the other, the number ‘13’ in large font. 
</p>
<p>
“This has to be Alex’s,” Maggie said to Darling, though the horse wouldn’t understand, of course. “He’s obsessed with gridball.” She made a mental note to return it to her friend before climbing back up into the saddle and continuing on towards home.
</p>
<p>
* * * * *
</p>
<p>
After dinner that evening, Maggie decided to create an ad to post in town. She brainstormed examples of what a helper might do around the farm, and decided on the wording. In the end, she decided on something short and simple:
</p>
<p>
<b>Help Wanted</b><br/>
1) Assist with animal care (feeding, milking, mucking stalls, etc.);<br/>
2) Assist with planting, watering, weeding and harvesting of crops;<br/>
3) Assembly of farm machinery if required;<br/>
4) Maintenance of farm buildings and land; and<br/>
5) Other duties as requested<br/>
Please inquire in person at Cable Farm if interested.
</p>
<p>
Maggie neatly wrote out the advertisement on a piece of paper, slid it into a plastic page protector in case of rain, and set it on the table beside the front door. Tomorrow morning, it would go up on the board, and she would have to wait patiently for a response.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Names of OC, animals and farm are all based on my own SDV save.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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